


Red Crackle One-Shots

by TheSeraph



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: A mix of non-smut and smut, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Sex, F/M, Feels, Gray is a dumbass but I love him, Honestly every kind of fanfiction these are one-shots, Humor, One Shot, Smut, taking requests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:47:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24762589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSeraph/pseuds/TheSeraph
Summary: Since the fandom needs more content, especially Red Crackle, I have decided I need to use my one (mild) skill of writing.This will be a collection of one-shots between Carmen Sandiego and Gray, whether it be post-Carmen or pre-, AU or not, and anything else that can come to mind. I will be taking requests. Feel free to comment them or add them to my google form:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjAG9e1DsDjK3ByqJyXFXt-ym2iPFy7BVbDfveSYrvcwPOgA/viewform?usp=sf_linkif you prefer to remain more anonymous. :)**Waiting for S4 with Gray content.**
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep/Gray | Crackle
Comments: 33
Kudos: 212





	1. Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first one-shot of this collection! If you came here for smut, Chapter 2 will quickly be up within 24 hours and does have smut, but this episode just has some makin’ out. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. I haven’t done fanfiction for a while now, so hopefully it is not shit. The next one will also be much bigger. :’) Feel free to leave any suggestions below.
> 
> Topic: Angst, Intense Kissing  
> Gray decides to go on a detour from his mission in order to run into an old... someone.

Come Back

The mission was minor. A small deed after Crackle's previous mess up. He'd finished the mission and waited for his rendezvous. Fingers tapping against the chair he was sitting on, lips pursed in a quiet, inner battle. 

Part of Graham was trying to convince himself he hadn't accepted this mission just to see  _ her _ . 

Not able to take it anymore, the VILE operative pushed himself from the bench and made his way to the place he'd been dreading all night. It didn't take long to reach the skyline, golden as the sun fell slowly beneath the rooftops. Curling his fingers into his palms, Gray waited and waited. When he saw a scarlet glint from the corner of his eyes, he turned to face Carmen. Brunette locks fell over his eyes in the breeze, the gelled-up hair look gone for the night. 

Graham never could've guessed how great Black Sheep would've looked in red lipstick, nor would he have known how painful it was to feel his eyes pulled down towards them.

"Trying to pull tricks again,  _ Crackle _ ?" Fell from Carmen's lips, her grey eyes darker with the look she had on her face. No need to pull a weapon, her stare could kill. It almost did: Gray couldn't help but wince at the way she said his codename. Not once did he call him that back then-- hell, she even made fun of it. It was too much to wish for his name to fall from her lips, but Graham was  _ beyond  _ stubborn. Stepping forward, carefully.

"Come back." 

That threw her off guard. Sandiego's red lips parted and clouded eyes widened at something so sudden. Unsure what to do as Gray continued to move towards her. He looked hard, strict in his words-- like he was doing this for VILE-- but the look in his eyes gave him away. Before she could pull away, his hands were on her wrist and she was pulling away.

"I'm never going back there. I will  _ never  _ touch that island again."

Gray had lost Carmen already. He was forced to debate why she'd left. If she'd left because of  _ him.  _ Because he was going to  _ kill _ . Forced into deep thought about what exactly he'd meant to her if it'd been so damn easy to leave him. His fingers only tightened around her wrist, and the fight was leaving her body. 

"Gray-- let go! Please, just let go-" Carmen weakly tugged at his pull, her eyes pointed at the floor in distress. She couldn't look him in his eyes. He didn't stop, pulling her close enough that if she looked up she'd feel his breath on her face. The silence was terrible, leaving Carmen unsure of what he was going to say. The Red Woman wanted an  _ explanation.  _ Something less complicated than "come back".

"Say something you asshole." She breathed, her bottom lip quivering. Player was screaming in her ear, but she couldn't hear it through the roaring in her head. 

"Come  _ back. _ " 

Something in Graham's voice broke this time, and Carmen was forced to look up at his face. The  _ mourning _ on his face made her want to vomit. 

"You're monsters. Evil. Killers--" both of her wrists were in his grip now. "--stop playing mind games and just try to end this. I promise I won't take it easy on you. Even if it's you." Not once did his eyes leave her face, and it had been a while now since Carmen had stopped trying to pull away. Their eyes stayed locked, the air between them thick enough to be cut through with a knife. 

"Exactly. Even if it's  _ me _ . Stop trying to pretend that we weren't anything." Graham held his breath in his throat, scared he would confirm his one fear: she didn't feel towards him how he felt towards her. "Stop trying to pretend like running away from me is easy. Forget about VILE, you left  _ me  _ too, Black Sheep." Carmen looked away again, biting her bottom lip with a pained look contorting her face. She wanted to correct him— she was Carmen now— but she couldn’t bring herself to in that moment. 

"I wasn't the one who tried to  _ kill _ people." There was venom in her tone, causing Gray to lean forward with a pained glare. "What did you expect from the  _ bad _ guys? After all we've been through, you see one thing and just leave? No goodbye? Nothing? You were always a feisty sheila, but I didn't think you were  _ cruel _ ."

"And what?!" Carmen yelled, startling Gray so much he bounced. "Let them catch me again? Trapped on that  _ hell _ ?" There were tears in her eyes now, and Graham felt his heart stop when he saw them. Stuttering to find words that would fit, his hands moving up her shoulders, neck, and resting on her cheeks. Gray brushed away a tear with his thumb before running that thumb along her bottom lip. Everything froze. They suddenly couldn’t feel the breeze or hear the buzz of cars below. In that moment, it was just the two of them in one moment, scared. 

He eyed her carefully, intensely, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Sheep's face despite the pissed look on her face. 

"Gray don't- don't do this to me-" she muttered, her fingers desperately clinging to the fabric on his chest as she pulled away. Instead of stopping, despite his brain telling him he should stop hurting himself and  _ her  _ like this, his fingers crept along her jaw. Gently cradling Carmen's face before leaning in again. 

Her top lip was pressed between his, Carmen's mouth opening as her grip softened against his chest. Graham snuck his arms around her waist, pulling her closely, scared she'd pull another vanishing act. 

He was afraid to lose that intense heat that snuck from his toes to his thighs to his head. Her lipstick was tasteless, but her perfume made him feel like he was drowning. The euphoria of feeling her press against him after so many years of feeling like she was a treasure just out of reach. Relying on her occasional touches. When they broke away from the kiss, huffing to get back the stolen air, Carmen pressed her lips together in a fine line, shaking. 

The loud slap across the face usually hurt, but it hurt  _ more _ coming from Black Sheep. 

Gray let out an exhale from his mouth, wide-eyeing Carmen and running a hand over the stinging patch of skin. A determined, almost teasing look had returned to La Femme Rogue's face as she watched him, "You were always so damn cocky." The sadness remained settled in her eyes, blinked away when she pulled him forward by his collar, meshing their lips together before reaching up to lace her fingers through his brown locks. Reaching into her eardrum, plucking out the device inside, and stowing it away in her pocket. 

Gray felt his heart hit his ribcage, desperate for this moment not to end. He knew it would. He knew she'd leave again, but ignorance was bliss and  _ god _ was he feeling blissful with her hot breath on his face and his tongue slipping into her mouth. It was like a battle, really, which wasn’t what people considered a great kiss. Sloppy and un-neat as they rushed for as much of this possible before their time ran out. 

Graham grabbed one of Carmen's hands, thumbing her palm to try and remember how it felt being her best friend, his other hand squeezing her thigh gently. 

Between kisses, Carmen threw out a husky "this is stupid", only to be met with a deep chuckle from Gray. Like he'd swallowed gravel or was suddenly a purring cat. "Just forget about everything else for a bit, Lambkins." As serious as this was, he still managed to be a damn tease with that big mouth of his. His lips darted to her jawline, nipping small bites along her jawline and across her neck. Gray could hear her panting, her grip on his hair tightening in teasing pleasure. Carmen tried to pay attention to every detail of Gray, feeling limp in his arms as the fiery moment slowly slipped further and further away. Like sand through her fingers. 

When they both began to calm, Gray's aggressive kiss turning into something more frail, their lips slowly parted. Slow and balanced like a ballet performance. He nipped at her bottom lip a moment to try and make this last longer, but it wasn't very long before they were left just watching each other. Heaving in as much oxygen as they could. 

Carmen was the first to break them apart, prying herself from desperate hands and watching as Graham's arms fell to his sides in defeat. 

"We can't do this again." 

"I… know." Gray sounded so pained by those simple two words that Carmen curled her fingers in discomfort.

"I'm not coming back." 

There was a pause, a hardness taking over Graham's expression. Last time, he didn't have to see her leave, but now he knew he'd have this image etched into his brain until the day he died. "I know." He couldn't even turn to look at her as she stepped away, frozen in place. When she didn't reply for a few moments, Gray finally managed to look towards where she had been, seeing nothing but an empty space and skyline.

It didn't feel as golden now. 


	2. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, friends. The first smut of this series. It is very extra and very long— I’m so sorry. Hopefully you enjoy. 
> 
> Note: They are not underage here. Carmen is believed to have been 18 around the time of graduation, making Graham 20. I don’t age play, yo. 
> 
> Topic: Light angst, heavy fluff, smut  
> Sheena tries to steal Graham away. Black Sheep is used to this, but this time it really, really pisses her off. Confessions happen and things happen.

Jealous 

Sheena had a tendency to cling to Gray. 

Maybe it was just to piss Black Sheep off, or maybe she genuinely liked him, but that didn't make it less annoying to deal with. Watching her smug face as she pulled Graham away, eyeing her as she did it, Black Sheep found herself wanting to hit that cocky look off her face _real_ hard. Usually she ignored it and went on with her day _annoyed._ Usually.

When she saw it happen this time, Sheena walking in on their conversation like it was nothing and pulling Gray away, Black Sheep glared. Sheena wanted to talk to him about something, and Graham awkwardly glanced over at Sheep to give her a sorry look, but it wasn't too long before Sheep had thrown her hand out and grabbed onto his arm. There was a motivation in her eyes fueled entirely by being pissed off. 

"No." She hissed, grey eyes narrowed at the blonde. Sheena met the glare just as viciously, and Graham nervously pulled himself from both of their iron grips. "Alrighty, sheilas, let's not get too heated here. Play nice." There was a cockiness to his tone, but the nervous chuckle that followed gave away that he wasn't feeling confident he'd be able to keep them apart. 

Sheena was the first one to bite back. 

"What? It's just a little chat, _Black Sheep_." Venom was laced throughout her voice as she leaned forward towards the girl. Carmen crossed her arms, determined to hold her ground this time. "You interrupted our conversation. Have you ever tried at least being slightly less rude?" The air between the two was like lightning, and Gray stepped forward to protest before being met with both of their hands shooting up to motion that he shut up.

"You know, _Lambkins_ \--" Sheena purred, a smirk tugging at her lips as she spoke. "--are you maybe a little jealous? Because he's such a great friend, or maybe because-" 

" _No!_ "

Black Sheep knew where this was going, embarrassed and frantic. Her arms dropped to her sides, and that embarrassed look in her stormy eyes was left with defeat. She turned on a heel, and muttered a quick "fine" before making her way down the hall and away from that… _asshole_. Gray was left in confused shock, glancing over to the platinum blonde before back over to his best friend as she disappeared down the hall. 

"Nope. No way. I'm going after her, and stay outta it this time, wont'cha?" He raised a finger threateningly in Sheena's direction before narrowing his dark eyes and making his way down that same hall. 

It didn't take long to find where she'd gone-- hideaways in the Academy were far and few. Eventually, he found his way to their rooms, prying open the door to discover Black Sheep, knees to her chest, sat up on her bed with her face tucked away. Instantly, Gray frowned, disappointed that she was so upset despite not really understanding why she was. He walked over slowly before sitting himself on the end of the bed.

“Black Sheep… it’s just Sheena being Sheena. You’re my best friend, you know that.” There was that protective tone he'd always get when she was upset. Like a spoonful of warm honey. It was drastically different from the normal, confident and teasing tone the Australian had. This only made Carmen feel worse, reminding her that he was like a _big brother_ to her, forced to ignore her underlying feelings out of fear for ruining what they already had. The moment his touches started making her feel a cold electricity was the moment she started to fear for what they had.

"It isn't that, Gray." She muttered, muffled into her legs. Simple things like sparring with him or those almost parental ruffles of her hair. It was all ruined by one stupid emotion she'd never really dealt with. Having _crushes_ wasn't really the norm on VILE island, so not only was she scared, but she was _confused_. Confused by how tiny things like a chuckle or those dimples of his could leave her mind in chaos for hours. 

"Then what is it, mate? I've never seen you react to Sheena like that, and she's _always_ like that." He'd reached forward to place a hand on her arm, trying to get her to at least look at him. Meekly, Black Sheep looked up at him. "I don't want to change things." 

"What is changing? Everything is the same besides graduation being soon."

Black Sheep glanced away, unable to look him in the eyes. "Us. I'm afraid I'll change us, Gray-- I'm not sure how to explain it and I'm… I'm not sure I want to." A soft sigh left Graham's lips when she said this, and he reached forward to edge her face in his direction. Meeting her grey eyes with his dark brown eyes carefully. "I'm sure, whatever it is, we will be fine. I wouldn't just… leave."

"You swear you won't look at me differently if I say anything?"

God, she looked so small and fragile then. He wasn't surprised, this kind of a topic was probably very unfamiliar to her, and he was starting to catch onto what she was poking at. Gray wanted to move him closer, but he was afraid of scaring her off the subject. Finally, she parted her lips to speak, "I think… I think I'm thinking of you as more than my best friend."

"You _think_ you are?" Graham immediately teased, resulting in a hit to the arm to shut up his low chuckle. Shaking his head, Gray peeped up at her carefully. "That doesn't have to change anything-- not in any bad way at least." He moved closer, cupping her cheek in his hand. Nervousness had crawled up into his throat-- despite Gray being quite familiar with kisses and everything that followed-- it was different with Black Sheep. He inched closer, heart ramming into his chest and Sheep’s lips parting slightly as she watched him slide closer and closer. She couldn’t help but feel her cheeks turn bright red with embarrassment. 

She seemed confused and nervous as he leaned in, gently pressing his lips to hers for just a few moments, and backing out to make sure that wasn’t a terrible, terrible idea. 

Eyes wide, Black Sheep watched Graham in silence. They just stared and stared, Gray's fingers threatening to tremble against her cheek from the nerves. Which was stupid. This wasn’t something new for him. He’d kissed _plenty_ , but that accepting look in Black Sheep’s eyes made him unsure yet exhilarated as they both moved in to continue the kiss. Graham pulled himself forward, settling between Sheep’s legs and over her body, breaking the kiss to look down at her auburn hair-framed face.

“You sure about this, Lambkins?” Black Sheep couldn’t believe he had the balls to use a nickname as teasing as that in the moment, but something about it made her feel even more heated before. Blushing wildly, unaware of the mild dusting of red across the Australian's face, she nodded. “You’d better cut the attitude though.” She snapped in a spirited tone, only to be received with a small laugh from Graham. 

“No promises.” 

Black Sheep couldn’t help the small squeak that left her mouth, unusual as she was usually the bold, stubborn one, but this was something… very new. As Graham leaned his face down into the crevice of her neck, pressing butterfly kisses down her chest, he nipped along the way. Black Sheep's back arched, her chest hearing and toes curling because of the feeling. She pressed her hands flat against his chest, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from being embarrassed further as Gray crawled in between her legs. Glancing up, placing a hand on her's with a small squeeze, he spoke into the hushed air.

"You are sure about this?" His Australian accent echoing off the walls as he waited. All that left Black Sheep's mouth was a small hummed yes.

Graham let out a sharp exhale, dipping his fingers into the rim of her pants before carefully pulling them down and off of her ankles. Goosebumps had already formed all along Black Sheep’s arms and legs at the feeling of his touch and the cold air of the academy hitting her skin. It didn’t take much longer until Gray had pulled her panties further and further down until they touched Sheep’s ankles, her thighs pressing together self consciously. She had heard _some things_ about sex, but that usually considered of “this sexual organ in this” (yes I know as a fellow queer I feel the suffering of same-sexless ed u_u), and she definitely didn’t hear about any _mouth_ being involved. 

As Gray’s hot breath hit the inside of her thighs, Sheep squished her eyes closed, running a hand over her face to try to calm the fire in her cheeks, her breath cutting short as she felt a tongue run along her slit. Slow at first, Gray began to prod his tongue between the fold, running a free hand up and under Black Sheep's shirt to brush along her waist. She couldn't help but jolt in surprise as he lapped at her, running his tongue against her clit before slowly slipping a finger into her. 

"Gray-!" Was all Black Sheep could mewl out, digging her nails into the cheap bed sheets. Which seemed to be enough motivation for Graham when he started to pump his hand, trying desperately to get the grin off his face. Flicking his tongue along her nub, his entire body aching from the painful difference in Black Sheep: possibly more confident than him to trembling and disabled in only minutes. 

Curling his finger, Graham prodded for the distinctive feeling of the girls g-spot, repeatedly, leaving Black Sheep a shaking mess as he slipped his finger out and pulled himself away from her. A short, battled moan slipping past her lips. 

She looked intoxicated when her grey eyes shot up in his direction, a confused look causing her brows to furrow and a frown to pull at the corners of her lips. Gray just beamed, creeping up above her once more and hiking her shirt up and pressing his lips to her upper stomach several times before peeping up. "I need a little help before we can… Ya know, do the improper?" He teased, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips before he sat up. A dork is always a dork. 

It didn't take very long for _Lambkins_ to realize what he was hinting at, frantically looking down at his tight pants as her breath hitched in her throat. She inched her way to him warily as he sat down, legs spread slightly as she unzipped the clothing. It didn't take long for Gray's _excitement_ to become blindingly obvious, and Black Sheep had to force away any thoughts as she was clueless on this subject and afraid to overthink it. _Really_ clueless. Meekly pulling down his undergarment before feeling her breathing stop when his shaft appeared, fumbling with what to do. 

A small laugh left Gray's mouth, and he began to bite his tongue as he summoned up the courage to _guide_ her.

Caressing her cheek, he slowly guessed her lips downward and she anxiously wrapped her lips around his tip. For a while, she tried to wrap her mind around this, running her tongue along the base of his cock before trying to take it into her mouth as much as possible. Everything before this, Gray had complete control over, and now she was fumbling to keep him as pleased as he'd pleased her.

On the other hand, Graham didn't mind. 

Despite his occasion urge to laugh (he didn't want to embarrass her, so he shut up for once), this entire situation was invigorating just because of one reason. Not skill. Black Sheep. So he waited, hoping just to be prepared enough to not hurt her upon entering, rather than really caring for her level of skill. He watched her swollen lips take him, biting his lower lip and running a hand over his mouth. He'd keep that image in his mind _forever._

When Black Sheep pulled her lips off of Gray's cock, huffing lightly, she felt him lean into her. Slowly guiding the girl down until her back was against the stiff mattress. Those dark amber eyes of his peered down carefully as he parted his lips to speak. "You ready, Lambkins?"

"Mnm." Was the only yes that could leave Black Sheep's mouth. The electricity between them disabling as they started at one another. Years of emotional confusion and here they were, unsure and yet completely sure of what they wanted. Black Sheep desperately hoped this wouldn't ruin them. Something so intense and different between two people who'd always just been _the same._ It only took a few minutes for Graham to make up for their first meeting where he teased the nickname he didn't mind using for her anymore. 

Reaching down, Gray looped Black Sheep's legs around his waist, cursing VILE's complete lack of sexual products for how slow this was going to be at first. Biting his tongue and holding his breath in a ball in his throat, he positioned himself before slowly slipping in. A low groan fell from his lips, and Black Sheep reached up to wrap her arms around him. Digging her fingers into his shirt to try and quell the uncomfortable feeling. It didn't hurt, but it was exactly fun-- yet. 

After she nodded for him to continue, Gray began to pump his hips against hers at a slow, careful pace. Black Sheep let out a short "a-ah-!" as he started to pick up the pace, leaning his nose down into the crevice of her neckline. He set a steady pace, listening to Black Sheep's harsh releases of air echoing around the room with every thrust. It was frightening to be _this_ close to her, but he knew he wouldn't give up this static feeling between the two of them that dissolved both of them into pure bliss and nothing else. 

Leaving a trail of fire along the top of her breasts with his lips, Graham began to rut his hips in a more careless, passionate manner. 

"Gray-- fuck--" was all Black Sheep could choke out, dazed and desperately fumbling for words. The searing feeling in her gut was almost as overwhelming as opening her eyes to Gray's face. Eyes shut, beads of sweat on his forehead, and his messy brown locks falling over his face as he parted his lips in pleasure. Her entire body was teeming with little sparks of electricity, and she felt herself desperately running her fingers through Graham's hair as she clenched around his cock. 

"Didn't realize you were that much of a _potty mouth_." He purred, running a finger over Black Sheep's lips as he opened his dark eyes again. She was too deep drowning in the pleasure to pester him, instead opting to just look up at him with a threatening face. In response he simply bucked his hips into her, both of them letting out a moan that mixed in the air. Slowly, all that could be heard was the sudden moans and huffs of the two, and Black Sheep had to shut her eyes tightly as she felt the rippling feeling of an oncoming orgasm as Gray buried into her.

It didn't take long before this shattered the both of them, Sheep begging for "harder" and "faster" to finish her off. Gray couldn't help but let something slip as well, a low-toned "crikey, Black Sheep" before they both unraveled. The Australian coming and Black Sheep not too far behind. Everything was fuzzy after that, the both of them just frozen and gasping before Graham laid himself down at Black Sheep's side.

He wrapping his arms around her heated body, shutting his eyes with a grin. "Hopefully that was what you meant by _more than a best friend_. If not, awkkkkward." A small giggle fell from Sheep's mouth as she turned to place a small peck on his lips. "It's about to be awkward if you don't cut the attitude, down undah." 

Another small laugh, but after there was only silence. The two holding each other close despite the high probability they could be walked in on. Some more moments of just resting against one another, and Graham piped up. "We should probably get cleaned up and… You know." He murmured, pressing his forehead against her own. Black Sheep was the first to push herself up, smiling over at Graham. It was too early to say what she wanted to, but she couldn't help but think it as they watched each other in the silence. 

"Let's get back to school before Sheena gets an idea of anything. I don't need her on my ass."

"If she was to, say, _be on your ass_ , does that mean we get to do _that_ again?" 

Black Sheep laughed. "Don't make me hurt you, Gray."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	3. Locked Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: Juniper Roman
> 
> Topic: Fluff + Angst, Romantic Make-out  
> Carmen’s kidnapped by V.I.L.E. and scheduled for execution. The night before, Graham goes to comfort her, but ends up rescuing her instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. :)
> 
> I will be starting requests now! I already have hella so far, so bear with me! We are gonna get through them the best we can. I am really enjoying the suggestions for far, so thank all of your for being so lovely and interactive with such a new fanfiction AND fandom. 
> 
> Love you all. <3 Hopefully you enjoy the read.

Locked Up 

La Femme Rouge had dodged V.I.L.E. for months upon months at this point. She’d had her slips of course, close calls and all that, but for the most part she was _completely_ unscathed by them.

Until now. 

It had gone by in a flash. Suddenly her friend’s lives were at risk and she was left with only one choice: to turn herself in and spare the people she’d grown to treat like a closely knit family. Now that she had, after getting past the fuzzies of the chloroform they’d put her under, she was stuck looking around the dusty, dim cell she was thrown into. Her ankles and wrists were locked up with long, trailing chains, and she had settled herself near the bars, yelling out into the hallways and rattling the chains. 

“Let me out! I know you can hear me! I am not going to shut up!” 

Yet again, no surprise really, she was left with complete silence. Hell, they didn’t even put a guard on her, which seemed utterly stupid considering her history of escaping them. Her auburn hair was a mess, frizzled and falling into her face as she pulled harshly against the chains. They'd told her tonight was the night she'd finally stop being an issue for them, and she could guess what _that_ meant, hoping that the Twins, Player, and Shadowsan would be there soon. 

After a few hours passed in the silence, the cuffs rubbing her wrists numb, the complete opposite of her wish came true. A familiar, accented hum rang along the hallway, followed by loud footsteps and a painfully cocky face appearing in front of her. 

_Crackle_. Gray. Her former _bestie._

She watched as Graham knelt down in front of bars, face to face with her as he clanked the tip of his crackle rod against the cage. "Well, isn't this a surprise?" He purred, tilting his head as he looked at her, his brown locks gelled up. Carmen tried to ignore the thought telling her she missed him with his hair down, and instead opted to send a dagger sharp glare and shut her mouth. They just watched each other in silence with the feeling of lightning in the atmosphere between them. 

Gray, frustrated by the silence, let out a sigh and sat himself down, back to the jail. "You have nothing to say to your best friend, mate? Rud-" it didn't take long for Carmen to cut him off with a quick " _Former_." Turning her back to his as well as they both leaned backwards into the bars separating them. "You know I'm going to get out, right?" She whispered into the thick air, staring at the flicking light about her. Graham inhaled sharply through his nose, "No you won't, Lambkins." He peeked a glance back at her before continuing. "But… Maybe I could convince them. To let you back into the academy. You've proved yourself-- you'd be a valuable asset-" 

"And what? Let them brainwash me and force me to do everything I'm against?" 

"At least you'd live--"

"I'd rather _rot_ in this cage." She spat, pulling her knees to her chest. Gray curled his fingers into his palms after placing his rod down (get your head out of the gutter smh), kicking it away so she couldn't sneak it last minute and beat his ass to hell. He just wanted her back, and it was still devastating that she had cut all her feelings for them. For _him_. They were family. At times, it felt like they were even more. 

"Was that really what being with us felt like? A _cage?_ " He choked out, the hardened, uncaring exterior starting to crack. There was nothing after that for a few moments as Carmen debated her answer. "No." She murmured, "With you guys I felt free. I'd been alone on that island for so long, just a teacher's pet, but with you guys I started to get that feeling of freedom. That _taste_ is why I left. Why I realized we were trapped. You _are_ trapped."

That got him thinking. A supposed false hope that maybe she didn't leave because of him. 

"It isn't in me to kill. For anyone, Graham." Carmen was hushed, hearing Gray turned to look back at her. That stung. He knew that was the moment he lost her, and he re-lived it often. He shouldn't be down here, he was a liability if she got in his head, but Gray just couldn't pull himself away. Slowly, Carmen turned and focused her grey eyes on the man, looking him up and down. They sat, face to face, and Carmen furrowed her brows in frustration as she eyed him before looking down. "You look better with your bangs down." 

It was straight forward, blunt. Something Carmen had made a habit of now that she wasn't Black Sheep anymore. She was more sure of her actions. More sure of _herself._ Gray remained silent, unsure of himself despite how much he acted like he was. The both of them had gone on completely different paths. It was almost devastating.

All Graham could do was let out a weak laugh, glancing down the hall to relieve himself of the intense feeling between them even if just for a few moments. He was conflicted, unsure if the thoughts in his head were just him being ridiculous or if they had meaning behind them. Gray wanted to _let her free_. Part of him wanted the thrill of escape, but he mostly was just tired of seeing her locked up in his musty, old room. He especially didn’t want to see her dead. His dark eyes ran along her slouched over form, eyeing the redness of the skin on her wrists. After he couldn’t take it anymore, Graham pushed himself from the floor and grabbed the keys off the way. Frantically shoving the keys into the gate and pulling it open before kneeling next Carmen. 

She looked confused, her eyes wide as he began to undo the shackles on her ankles before moving up to her wrists. When they fell from her hands, Graham ran his hands over the numbed skins for a few moments, meekly looking up at Carmen. “I’m sorry, Black Sheep.” He muttered, “Or… Carmen now, isn’t it?” There was a serious look in his eyes as he stood up, holding out his hands to help her up. 

She was suspicious of this, refusing to take his hand for a few moments before slowly reaching up to pull herself upward. When she was on her feet again, Graham tightened his hand around her own before beginning to quickly pull her down the hallway. Everything started to blur by past that moment. She couldn’t understand if she should be focused on the shock of his hand on hers, or the shock of him helping her _escape_ after trying to bring her back. Probably the later, but she couldn’t help but feel a red tint form along her cheeks at the thought of Gray being her… knight in shining armor. _God_ she hated being a damsel in distress but something about this was so painfully different from the stereotype. The something between them made it more complicated. 

As Carmen was guided through the academy, Gray not even taking a second to look back at her, the shock began to wear off. "What are you doing?" She harshly snapped, looking around frantically. Gray bit his tongue, "What does it look like, sheila? I’m breaking you out.” 

That was easily processed, and Carmen pulled the man violently towards her so that he would face him. “If you do this, you can’t go back to V.I.L.E.. Jesus Christ, why are you doing this Gray?” There was worry in her eyes that was met with a fiery look of motivation in that of Gray’s. He’d already made his decision, and he wasn’t about to let Carmen’s tendency to be selfless get in the way of it. “You don’t think I haven’t thought about that already? Am I supposed to just sit around and wait for them to kill you? You were my _best friend,_ mate. You mean-“ he froze, stumbling on the conjugation of the word for a moment. “You… meant the world to me. I can’t just let you die, so suck it up and shut up so we can get you out, okay?”

The Red Woman froze for a few moments before she nodded. There wasn’t time to think about feelings just yet. 

After weaving through the halls for a while, Graham eventually led the both of them out of a back exit, hearing the sirens of the academy begin to explode around them. Keeping their cool, the two thieves scaled their way down the wall and made way to the ocean’s coast below as carefully and swiftly as possible. The rocks were slick from a recent rain, and Carmen found herself clinging to Graham’s arm as he carefully led her along the terrain. Recent drugging and starvation wasn’t a good look for dangerous hiking. When they approached the coast, Gray’s heart ramming into his ribs due to close proximity, they settled in the brush, hoping that the team would be here soon. That was their only option at this point, so they settled on deciding stealth until pick-up. 

Sat down underneath the long palm leaves, Gray and Carmen sat in silence for a long while. Unsure what to say. Last time they met, Graham tried to hurt her. Now he was here with those distant, puppy eyes saving her from his own team out of nowhere. It frustrated Carmen. She wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time, but mostly she just wanted to understand. Understand what this meant. Those people at V.I.L.E. were his family, and suddenly his values are different?

Deciding she couldn’t take it anymore, running a hand over her exhausted face, Carmen spoke up. “What am I supposed to think about you now?” She sounded almost _hurt_ that Graham had saved her, holding her eyes steadily on him as she waited for an answer. He barely could look her way when he finally did. 

“How am I supposed to know? That’s up to you, Lambkins.” 

God, he was still calling her that like they were back on the island. Ignorant with their false sense of bliss. But he was right— that wasn’t something he could answer— and the conversation fell to silence once more leaving only the sound of bristling leaves and ocean waves crashing against the sand. In the nothingness, Carmen decided what to think: nothing, yet, but she could at least be grateful despite their differences. She reached over, hesitant, before placing her hand over his. 

“Thank you.” 

That got his attention, and Sandiego watched as Graham’s eyes looked back over at her for the first time in a long while. “Don’t thank me yet. They could easily still find us, and it won’t just be a one-person show anymore.” It was a bland attempt at humor, stress obvious in the way Gray pushed back his hair and bit at his bottom lip. 

It was cold, and Carmen had to wrap her arms around herself tightly. Unluckily for her, the V.I.L.E. assholes had taken away her red cloak, which not only was her personal favorite in the fashion collection of Carmen Sandiego, but was also a source of warmth. She was convinced she’d have them _pay her back_ on the next caper. When she started shivering, this became apparent to Gray, who took in a shaky inhale before scooting over to the woman and wrapping her arms around her. “If you die of hypothermia before they get here, I will personally crawl into heaven and tear you out myself.”

“Are you calling me an angel, Gray?” Carmen teased back almost instantly, despite the awkwardness of feeling him this close to her. Graham let out a snort. “Maybe I am. Just how smooth would that have been?” Both of them let out hushed giggles into the night air, savoring the lack of stress for the few moments it was available to them. After the laughing died down, Carmen pointed her grey orbs up to eyes Gray’s hair once more before carefully reaching up and running her fingers through his gelled-up bangs. Giving them a gentle shift as she tried to return them to their normal stay of hanging.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t attractive— Graham looked more… sexual with his bangs gelled up in that manner— but she preferred seeing him as the Graham she knew. Pausing with her fingers laced in his hair as their eyes focused in on each other like magnets. They sat there for a while before Carmen reached both of her hands up to grab onto Graham’s face, pulling him closer before getting on her knees.

She was so close, leaning in so near that Gray could feel her hot breath hit his face. He could see into her stormy eyes and could spot every tense, exhausted portion of her face, which still managed to remain gorgeous despite her just being kidnapped and held as a prisoner. He could have stayed there forever, looking at her in the dim lighting, but Carmen couldn’t as she gently pulled him forward before meshing their lips together. 

It was like a wave of fire had crashed down into the both of them. Gray wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck, his back slowly drifting towards the dirt below them. Carmen was left on top, releasing his lips for just a few moments to eye him before she connected them once more. She straddled him, her auburn hair drifting downward only to brush along his jaw and neck on occasion. But none of that bothered Gray: not the hard, uncomfortable ground or the tickling sensation of her hair or the fact that they could easily be murdered any moment. All that mattered was Black Sheep— Carmen— and he wasn’t about to give that up for frustration. 

Well. Not _that_ kind of frustration.

They stayed there for a long bit, Carmen’s body melding with Graham’s as they held each other closely. When Carmen pulled away this time, though, there were tears budding in the corners of her eyes. 

“You have to come with me. Okay?” Still, even crying, she sounded so sure of her words. 

Considering she wasn’t the vulnerable type, Graham found himself caught off-guard. Reaching up to brush his thumbs against her cheeks. “They might not let me go with you. You know that? To them I’m Crackle… not Gray.” He was right, but Sandiego quickly shook her head. “They will. I’ll make sure of it. You just have to promise you won’t try to run off. At least… tell me first.” It was ironic that she was scared of him doing what she had done to him, but now wasn’t the time to point out how wrong what she was saying could be. Instead, Graham just gave a simple and frustrated nod, pushing himself upward and pulling Carmen into his chest.

She nestled into the crevice of his neck, their grips on one another bordering on vicious. They stayed there for the longest time, frozen and wordless, until suddenly the sound of a motor started to grow closer. Shoving branches aside, Sandiego felt her lips part in pleased shock when she saw her team approaching. Practically throwing herself off Graham, who stumbled to his toes to help keep the woman upright. She was getting more and more exhausted by the second. He was afraid that she would collapse before they even made it.

Once they did, the twins and Shadowsan helped the two of them onto the boat before quickly speeding off into the sea, but the stares were obvious. Ivy had pulled Carmen away from Gray, her look on him like a rapid animal. 

Is he the one who tried to kill you on a train? God, Carm. What did they do to you to make you bring him along?” Concerned twisted the ginger’s voice, but Carmen was quick to shake her head in denial. “He saved me. I’d be dead. Just… please trust me on this one.” He meant a lot to her. She’d never admit it, but he did. Shadowsan seemed to back off slightly, unspeaking but his stares still as fatal. It didn’t help that he knew _exactly_ how the boy felt towards Carmen. Player argued in the background with Ivy, but all the woman in red could do was walk herself over to Graham, lacing their fingers together behind both of their backs and she leaned into him. 

Her eyes shut, and Gray looked down at her with a soft expression, tightening his hold on her hand like any moment she would disappear into thin air. He didn’t know what he would do next— he could never go back to what he was now— but he’d settle on at least being around the person he loved as long as he could.

And… probably let his bangs down every once in a while. 


	4. The Poorly Done Caper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: Anon  
> Topic: Fluff, humor, mild smut  
> How about Gray and Carmen joining forces after Gray regains his memories, only for their first mission together turn in to a comedy of errors. However when all seems lost Carmen has an idea - the V.I.L.E operatives sent on this mission were El topo and Le chèvre, Carmen decides to play matchmaker hoping that this will be enough to distract them and maybe give her team an advantage. Meanwhile this brings out new (saucy) memory flashbacks for Gray who is starting to get ideas of his own…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be spacing out posts now so that I don’t burnout! Thank you guys who all sent in requests. It means a lot. <3
> 
> And warning... We got top Gray two chapters ago, but prepare for bottom Gray. He totally dommed Black Sheep and gets dommed by Carmen. Dunno how, that’s just how it is. I don’t make the rules lmao. 
> 
> Enjoy~!

The Poorly Done Caper

Gray had been staying with Team Red for a month now after he'd gotten his memories back. He'd decided to stay away from V.I.L.E. despite this, and to the surprise of his former bestie then former date, he wanted to stay and  _ help  _ her. Go against his family and everything that he worked for. After a bit of convincing Ivy, Zack,  _ Dadowsan,  _ and Player, he'd been able to settle in with the team and work to build their trust. It was  _ especially _ difficult with Shadowsan. 

Tonight was special: it was his first caper with Carmen since the reunion.

This time, the destination was Florence, Italy. The Cradle of the Renaissance and home to Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and the first to ever use a telescope: Galileo. Being not only a fashion capital and tourist attraction, Florence was home to the Uffizi Gallery. One of the greatest museums in the world. Team Red was there for one simple reason: V.I.L.E. wanted to get their hands on a painting called  _ The Birth of Venus _ , and the Botticelli painting would definitely fetch a fortune for them if they did. 

Tonight, the museum was closed to a few deep pockets looking to get a more personal experience with the museum, and Player had done Gray and Carmen the favor of snatching an invitation for the both of them. Carmen was sure V.I.L.E. would have done the same, nervous that Graham would be put at such risk, memories returned or not. For now, though, she would have to suck it up and trust in his ability to handle this situation. He’d went to the same school as her— he could handle himself. Hopefully.

They arrived by limo, another gift from Player. Carmen wore a trailing red dress, her color of course, with her hair pulled up into a bun, while Graham stepped out of the vehicle in a suit. It didn’t suit his personality, but that didn’t mean it didn’t compliment him. Sandiego couldn’t help but steal a few looks during the ride, just like she did as he offered her an arm, linking them together as the two entered the museum. 

Pushing any tiny amount of anxiety she had about Graham being here, Carmen eyed the museum as they stepped inside. The first thing Gray did was let out a sarcastic laugh, “This isn’t really the crowd I am used to, mate. Fancy clothes, small food…” He reached his free hand over to grip the arm linked to his own. Biting at his bottom lip and nervously tapping his fingers into Carmen’s arm as he watched people walk by. She grinned at his comment, looking over at him. Even in a suit with his hair done even more than usual, Graham still managed to look unruly. 

“You’re the social type, Graham Crackle. Try one of those puns of yours. They’ll love ‘em.” She teased, leading them to the table where there was food served. “Yeah, I’m sure that suits their really,  _ really _ bland taste in humor.” He picked up a small cracker with caviar on top, eyeing it with confusion before hesitantly putting it in his mouth. As he did this, Carmen was leaning into his side, peeking over his shoulder to see if she could spot any trouble. It didn’t take long before she caught onto two of her former classmates: Jean Paul and Antonio. Not a surprising duo, really. Sandiego couldn’t help but smile in amusement when she saw them, glancing back at Gray.

“Guess which two they decided to send along.” A small laugh followed. “Quite the reunion. Hopefully Sheena isn’t here too.” 

Graham looked over and let out a short sigh, a nervous look hardening his dark eyes. “What’s the plan, Red Robbing Hood?” Carmen looked over at him, pressing her lips into a tight line of worry. "We need to cook up a distraction, and they usually are great at distracting each other. So…" 

"Christ, Lambkins. You really are a heartbreaker." Letting his tongue poke out in a failed attempt to get rid of the taste of caviar after he spoke, Graham led the two of them away from the table and towards the open area where everyone was chatting. “What? We are going to play matchmaker now? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.” Carmen simply smiled at his comment, making Gray furrow his brows nervously at the devious look she had. 

“You are new to the whole good guy thing, Gray, just trust me on this one.” Tightening her linked arm, Sandiego began to drag a hesitant Aussie over to their two classmates. Unlike her, he wasn’t very confident about coming face to face with them, but there wasn’t much time to internally complain about it before Carmen was tapping on Jean Paul’s shoulder and watching him turn around with wide eyes. Carmen simply smiled, cool and confident despite the glare on both of the V.I.L.E. Agents faces. “Well if it isn’t my favorite classmates all in one place. How have you two been?” 

They hesitantly looked over at each other before Jean Paul crossed his arms across his chest. “I don’t think it counts after you spend years screwing them over.” The French accent was thick, and Antonio carefully placed his hand on Jean Paul’s hip in support. Something that both Gray and Carmen noticed before looking over at each other. God Graham looked nervous compared to his usual self, but there wasn’t time to tease him about it yet. Time for the plan. 

“So, how’s the team been since I left?”

“Just ask  _ Graham _ . He is practically kissing your shoes now, isn’t he?” Jean Paul hissed. Gray pressed his lips into a straight line and kept his embarrassment and anger down. “Oh come on, nothing’s changed since I left? What about you and Antonio? You can’t possibly tell me that you two haven’t taken the next step. A kiss? Maybe a little bit of _nuddy_?” Not one of the other three knew what the hell  _ nuddy  _ meant, but they could guess. Carmen tried not to laugh at Gray’s almost violent checkmate, and Antonio and Jean turned as red as beets. 

“W-what is  _ that  _ supposed to mean? We aren’t- that’s ridiculous—“ Jean Paul stuttered over his words, oblivious to the pained look in Antonio’s eyes as he pulled his hand away. “We aren’t what?” That stung, and Gray had to pretend he was surprised and unfazed by that comment, and Carmen couldn’t even begin to process how ridiculous this had gotten in such little time. Little did she know, Graham was enjoying the little game and was going to take it a step further. 

“Am I wrong? What about that time after training when I found you two-“

“Shut  _ up  _ Graham.” Antonio ground out between his teeth, looking more pissed than someone as kind as him ever should, and suddenly Graham had lost his cocky grin and dimples. It didn’t take too long before Antonio was pulling Jean Paul away from the other two, mumbling out a “we need to talk” before turning his back to them. Carmen narrowed her grey eyes at the two as they settled behind a corner, their softened expressions indicating they were  _ definitely  _ distracted. Before Graham could even take another breath, he was being pulled away, slowly through the crowd and further into the museum. All the while Gray couldn’t help his words echoing in his head. Every time he recalled Jean and Antonio’s…  _ endeavor,  _ he couldn’t help but remember how he and Carmen used to be. Him and  _ Black Sheep _ . 

They rounded the corner into the corridor, heading past tens of thick glass and artwork just behind. Gray couldn’t help his frustration, rushing thoughts that a thief in the middle of  _ thieving  _ shouldn’t be having. Curling his fingers roughly into his palm in an attempt to shake the thoughts, he finally gave up, grabbing Carmen by the wrist. She looked surprised and annoyed, looking back over her shoulder instead of meeting his eyes. “What the hell are you doing? We need to get the painting.” 

“Bl- Carmen…” he muttered into the still air, his entire body on fire. He just couldn’t shake the thought. Was he really  _ this  _ off his game after only a few months? 

“Gray. Seriously. The painting?” 

“I’m distracted.” He bit at his lower lip, his hands trailing down to her hips. “You’re really distracting.” Carmen couldn’t help some heat rise in her cheeks, but she wasn’t about to let  _ anyone,  _ not even Gray and his sudden horniness, stop her from screwing over V.I.L.E. Instead, she simply leaned forward, her lips nearing his, and let out a low laugh. “Then get your ass in gear or I won’t un-distract you.” It was that simple before she pulled herself out of his grasp and made her way to the painting. Gray took a moment to just watch her walk away before catching up with her.

He watched as she took a CO2 laser out and began to carve a hole into the glass. Risky with glass this big, but it had to be done. She eventually got through, and her hands neared the painting before she heard an alarm start to blare. Nothing seemed to be going right with this caper tonight. Maybe Graham was a bit of a bad luck charm when it came to this. 

Ignoring the blaring, Carmen snatched the painting as Gray grabbed her arm and began dashing down the hallway. The lights began to turn on one by one, leaving Sandiego to look over at her teammate in confusion. “Where the hell are you bringing us?” He kept moving despite this. “To the electric panel. There is one near, surely.” It wasn’t the bad of an idea, so Carmen went along without complaint. When they arrived at one, Graham reached to crack the panel door open, letting out a low “crikey” when he heard the footsteps of security running in. He began rummaging through the wires, not even slightly worried that Carmen wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

La Femme Rouge dashed towards the officers, throwing her body into one with vicious momentum. A few kicks to the knee and guts and all three were unconscious on the floor, Carmen waiting for more to round the corner. With a couple more snips, though, Gray let out an excited yelp of victory before the security gates began to shut in front of Carmen, leaving the guards trapped. Graham dashed towards Carmen and they made their way out, cracking open the nearest window they could find before Carmen situated herself on the ledge of it, giving Gray a cocky look before holding out her hand. “You know the drill.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll hang on tight. No letting go.” 

Finding his fear of heights hilarious, despite all the training they went to in order to become thieves, Carmen shot him a teasing look before wrapping her arm around his waist and shooting her grappling hook up and to get them onto the roof. A couple exclamations along the lines of “shit” and “crikey”, and they eventually got to the top, Gray buckling over. “I think I’m gonna chunder.” 

Sandiego let out a small giggling, patting him on the back before gently leading him into a dark area of the rooftop. All they had to do was wait for the police to arrive and leave them a secret gift. For now, the two sat down against a ventilation system and listened. The silence didn’t last very long before Carmen met Gray’s wandering eyes. “As terribly as that went, you didn’t do  _ too  _ bad Graham Crackle.”

Gray ran his fingers through his hair, feeling awkward hearing his code name due to current circumstances. “Let’s just stick to Gray, mate.” 

“Yeah, alright. Gray.” A small huff of air left Carmen’s lips, leaving fog in the cold air. “Still distracted?” Black Sheep had been many things, even confident, but  _ Carmen Sandiego  _ was on an entirely different level, keeping her eyes on Graham as if she didn’t have any doubts about what she said. Gray could only pause, letting out a nervous laugh and tapping his finger against his leg. “We should forget about that— it was probably the adrenaline… you know?” 

But Carmen wasn’t forgetting about shit, leaning forward and pushing his face to be eye to eye with her. “I don’t recall  _ that  _ being a side effect of adrenaline, Gray.” Both of her hands her on his face down, traveling slowly to grip the hair gently on the back of his head. They paused, taking a moment to just eye each other as Gray’s felt his eyes drift down to her lips. The red lipstick brought out her grey eyes in a way that drove him wild. 

She was so different now. So confident with  _ everything.  _ The way that she’d managed to become something entirely new drove him crazy  _ and  _ confused, but his feelings had only shifted. Not changed. His entire body felt numb, and Carmen could only feel an intense focus— like when she had when she grabbed that painting— and felt herself leaning forward. It was a blur, really. She pulled him forward and gave him a confident kiss on the lips, pushing herself up before situating herself on his lap, lips still connected.

Graham swallowed thickly when she pulled away, not really used to being the one on bottom, but it didn’t feel wrong when it was her. Instead of worrying, he simply gripped her thighs, pulling her closer with a heated face as Carmen melded their lips together once more in a desperate manner. There was a mild taste of caviar to him, and Gray couldn’t help but take in her light perfume. When he felt Carmen’s hands leave his hair and settle on his shoulders, slipping down his abdomen, Graham surprised himself with a short-lived, gaspy moan. Sandiego couldn’t help but let out a cocksure laugh at that, leaning out and pressing a kiss to his jawline.

“Oh be quiet, sheila…” He muttered into the dense air, reaching back and dipping his fingers into the rim of her pants as Carmen began to run her hands under his suit, untucking the shirt and curling her palm into Gray’s toned form before running her other hand over the tightening area of his pants. “You sure you want me quiet,  _ Gray _ ?” She teased, leaning down into the crevice of his neck, her auburn hair gently brushing against his skin. As she did this, her hips began to roll against Graham’s pelvis, causing Gray to remove a hand from her waist to cover his mouth in response. Carmen let out a sharp breath before continuing.

Gray started to push his hips up in return, shutting his eyes partially from embarrassment and partially because of the shockingly intense grinding. Carmen sped up, letting out a quick “fuck” as she reached up to pull Gray’s hand from his mouth. Intertwining their fingers forcefully before pressing her lips to his once more. Their lips parted wider, and Carmen’s tongue quickly entered Graham’s mouth, a hum leaving his lips at how drastic she was being— even if it was very,  _ very  _ hot. The kiss broke as Carmen let out a desperate moan when she hit just right, pressing her forehead against Gray’s as she closed her eyes due to the feeling. Her fingers gripped his bulge from beneath the pants, and she felt herself painfully out of control. 

Graham was like a drug, and  _ this  _ was a total relapse. 

Years of sexual tension, being best friends, hating each other… it made something about sex (or something close to sex) even more electric and paralyzing. Gray’s eyes had opened now, watching Carmen and her furrowed brows as she desperately pulled herself against him, his hand wandering down her waist until-

“Guys! What the hell are you doing?”

Oh shit. Player. 

The two thieves bounced in shock as the hacker erupted in both of their ears. They just watched each other for a few moments before Carmen hesitantly spoke up. “Sorry about that. Was the comm on the whole time..?”

“Forget about that for now. I’ll freak out about it later, but the cops are  _ just  _ around the corner, so I suggest getting yourselves together, Red.” They could hear the sirens ringing in the distance, and Gray had to place his face into his hands to hide his embarrassment. Carmen hesitantly pulled herself off of him, her legs numb and shaking from the pleasure. Both of them left in the middle of a very aroused state. 

“Stay here. We don’t need two people to drop this off. The team will pull up around the corner.”

“You sure you’re gonna be able to do that, Lambkins? I haven’t left you too disabled?” Graham attempted to joke, pulling his face from behind his hands slowly. Carmen simply chuckled. “You know, I thought that was  _ me  _ doing the disabling. Rest up, Gray. You probably need it.” He didn’t have any time to retort before she had already hopped off the ledge to go hand over the painting. 

Player decided it was his time to complain now. “You do realize I am traumatized now after hearing that? You better pray to some god that Shadowsan wasn’t listening, Gray.” 

“We’re even since you were a cock block, kiddo.”

“You mean the  _ mission  _ you were on?” Player shot back, earning a laugh from Carmen through the channel. “Play nice boys. We are allowed a poorly done caper every  _ once _ in a while.” 


	5. Counting Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: RoyalLilac requested nighttime fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am back. :)
> 
> Sorry for the disappearance. I had a lot of pretty serious things to handle mental-health wise, and I am still dealing with them (so please be forgiving if uploads aren’t consistent).
> 
> Nonetheless, here we are! A shorter chapter than usual, but I will be putting out more as season 3 gives me my muse back. Thank you guys for sticking around. <3

Counting Sheep 

His dreams were fuzzy— like a dense mist or a light fabric pulled loosely over his eyes. Even after getting back his memories, Gray had some light amnesia remaining. He’d find himself walking in his dreams and turning a corner just for the dream to end before he could see what was in front of him. Unluckily for him, this meant he had some insomnia to work out. Laying next to Carmen, the brunette nestled tightly between his arms most nights, was a bit helpful, but he was restless anyways. 

The dream faded into nothingness, and he found himself staring at the pale ceiling of the remade Carmen Sandiego factory. It was not too fancy yet, and Gray tried to quietly turn over onto his side, glancing over their floored mattress bed to the sleeping form beside him. He tried to keep his breathing light and not move much, too used to waking Carmen up with his shifting around. Blinking his brown eyes as he stared at the back of her head, Graham suddenly felt himself jump when a voice erupted from the “sleeping” lump beside him. 

“Bad dream again?” It mumbled, husky and deep from the exhaustion of broken sleep. 

Graham felt himself cringe in a mix of embarrassment and guilt when he heard her, nestling his face into the back of Carmen’s head a bit before sighing. “I already told you, sweetheart. _Weird,_ not bad.” He didn’t want her worrying about this, and he especially didn’t want that when she was trying to sleep. Carefully, his arms wrapped around her lithe form, a small smile dancing on his lips when he heard her yawn just in front of him before she spoke again. “You know, weird dreams can be just as bad as a nightmare right?” She teased, shifting her body until the two of them were face to face, merely centimeters away from their nose tips touching one another. “You should stop trying to make me not worry by just avoiding it. We both know I can handle more than a freaky dream, Gray.”

A sharp breath of air left Gray’s nose in irritation that he’d been caught. He was really gonna have to work on realizing that Carmen wasn’t an idiot about these things, despite her many years lacking _real_ social interaction. “You caught me, but is this really the best time..?” He whispered, deep auburn eyes scanning over her carefully. God, he looked like such a puppy dog sometimes. _Especially_ when he was trying to “beg” her back to sleep. Carmen didn’t mind it though, admiring the sloppy locks of brunette hair on Gray's head and that slightest purse of his lips in defiance for her wanting to discuss his dream and interrupt her own. Slowly, she lifted her hand up to cup Graham’s cheek, running it up and into his hair in silence. A red blush dusted his cheeks for a few moments at the sudden moment, but he simply just parted his lips and watched her. 

“So…” she murmured, eyes focused intensely on Gray as she slid her fingers through his locks. “Was it the same as last time?” All Graham could do was nod, unsure of what would come out of his mouth if he opened it. Carmen simply chuckled, reaching her other hand up to brush it against the other side of his face. “What feels like it’s still missing?” There was some worry to her tone this time, barely noticeable but still there. 

Gray let out a sigh of frustration, tightening his arms around Carm. “It isn’t that something is _always_ missing, just that sometimes I just… lose— lose things?” He was stumbling over his words, unsure how to explain the fog in his head that would pop up every so often when he tried to remember something. Sometimes it was simple as what he was doing upstairs, but other times it was worse— where he was from, various memories from VILE, and even at times he would forget what Carmen was before Carmen. The two words would be stuck on the tip of his tongue as he tried to force it from wherever it tried to be buried, and he usually found himself just giving up on forcing it free. It wasn’t like he needed to call her “Black Sheep” anymore anyways, but the occasional tease of using _lambkins_ as a pet name wasn’t gonna disappear anytime soon. 

Sandiego noticed the frustration in Gray’s face due to the telltale strain in his eyebrow, reaching up to gently massage them back into their normal place. “I know you think we don’t notice all these little things that have been happening ever since you got your memory back, but you _really_ aren’t a good liar, Gray.” Graham scoffed, the blush back to his face in a pure, obvious scarlet this time around. He leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together yet keeping his silence. What was he supposed to say? 

“You should let us help. We could… buy you sticky notes or something? Or help you remember what you need to remember? Hell, sleep issues are pretty common nowadays, so if you want we could go to a doc-“ Gray interrupted quickly with some panic to his tone. “No- no, Lambkins, this isn’t that big of a deal.” But Carmen gave him a reprimanding stare as soon as he spoke, narrowing her eyes at him. “You are so stubborn sometimes. You know that?” All Graham could do was grin at her in acknowledgment, pulling her close before hiding his face in the curve of her neck. “Would I really be me if I wasn’t?” He said against her skin, hot breath trailing down Carmen’s collarbone as he did so. Carmen gave him a simple “Mnm… probably not.” after feeling herself shiver at the contact of his breath. Delicately, Carmen pried herself slightly loose from Gray’s arms, rolling herself on top of him. Her legs straddled his hip bones as she reached down to cup his chin, running a thumb along his lips before leaning down towards him. 

Gray felt his face boil at her boldness, but simply chuckled at her before reaching to brush her trailing hair from her face so he could see her better. Gently, he pulled her face down to his, pressing his lips neatly between her own. It didn’t take long for both of their lips to part, heads tilting as they sunk into the kiss more and more. It was slow and fluid, and Graham had to do his best not to smile and break the kiss when he felt Carmen’s hair brushing against his cheeks and neck. Carmen simply sunk down further, wrapping her arms under Gray’s head to pull him even closer as her chest laid down against his own. 

Gray murmured a quiet “I love you” to the brunette, which she responded to with a small quirk of her lips before pressing her lips against his to silence him. As soon as they broke apart again for a few, hushed breaths, he did the exact same thing. A playfulness to his tone as he now whispered a quick “I love you” once more before Carmen could quiet him again. 

They took small moments apart, eye to eye, to catch their breaths, but those didn’t last very long before their lips crashed together once more. This lasted until they heard a shifting from upstairs, and considering there were not many walls or doors keeping people from walking in on them, Carmen gave Gray a knowing look of disappointment before breaking the kiss and flopping back down to his side. Graham let out a snort of amusement, probably forcing back one of his stupid jokes internally, before lazily tossing his hand on top of her’s.

“We should probably sleep, crikey- what is it? 1 am?” He let out a yawn, stretching his legs out a bit. 

“Says the one who woke me up." Carm was teasing, a playful glint in her eyes as she spoke. All Gray could do was simply squeeze her hand playfully, giving her a teasing glare. "You are so mean when you are sleepy, Lambkins." His voice was deep and gravely now, the tiredness obvious in the wrinkling of his eyes. Quietly, they both shut their eyes in a wordless agreement that it was time to sleep. Everything went still except for the whooshing of wind in the leaves outside. Complete nothingness until Graham was stirred out of his small amount of consciousness by a groaning Carmen.

"And… Now I can't sleep."

A small giggle left Gray because he spoke. "Ever try counting sheep..?" 

"Shut up."

"Yes ma'am."


End file.
